Mark A Welsh III, a retired four-star general and former commander of the U.S. Air Force, was president of Texas A&M University. His resignation is immediate and in effect today. He has been president of the university since 2022, when Margaret Katherine Banks left the post. He stepped down after being engulfed in a firestorm over the university’s efforts for diversity and inclusion. This concern especially focused on LGBTQ+ content within the core classes of study.
Every senior-enough military officer has served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but his most influential role may have come as the CIA’s associate director for military affairs. Before coming to MIT, he was named the commandant of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He had been the dean of the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M.
Texas A&M’s business school sparked a national outcry when it invited young, female advanced PhD students and faculty to a conference. This event served as a recruitment mechanism for Black, Hispanic and Indigenous graduate students. In January this year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to fire Welsh because of this major new initiative. Welsh’s answer to this disaster was to announce that the university would pull out of the conference completely.
Things got a lot more complicated last week though, when a viral video clip from a children’s literature course taught by Melissa McCoul went public. In the video, Welsh addressed student concerns regarding anti-LGBTQ+ content in psychiatry courses and education courses. He made the point that those contractors can’t pick their customers or the citizens that they serve. Most importantly, they want to know and address the concerns that affect the lives of the patients they’ll heal.
In his resignation announcement, Welsh suggested that recent happenings forced him to reach the decision that it was time to resign.
“Over the past few days, it’s become clear that now is that time,” – Mark A Welsh III.
Reactions to his resignation went all across the map among Texas A&M stakeholders. Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller and a member of the university’s board of regents, credited Welsh’s decisive leadership. He was equally shrewd enough to know that something had to change.
“President Welsh is a man of honor who has led Texas A&M with selfless dedication,” – Glenn Hegar.
He added, “We are grateful for his service and contributions. At the same time, we agree that now is the right moment to make a change and to position Texas A&M for continued excellence in the years ahead.”
Other critics came out in favor of Welsh’s resignation. In my mind, Brian Harrison articulated something very strongly. He decried what he referred to as “DEI AND LGBT INDOCTRINATION IN TEXAS” and called for its abolishment.